A power take off (P.T.O.) device is a mechanical device used to operate various components, such as hydraulic pumps or mechanical devices, by taking advantage of the power of a transmission. To receive input from a transmission, a P.T.O. device is mounted such that one of the P.T.O. gears engages a transmission gear. The P.T.O. is mounted to the transmission at an opening generally provided by the transmission manufacturer. An example of a standard opening provided by transmission manufacturers is the SAE 6 BOLT P.T.O opening.
Over the years, while the transmission opening has remained the same, the P.T.O. housings that mount to the openings have grown to accommodate larger gears. In order to pull the most horsepower possible from the transmission openings, the size of the P.T.O. gears must be maximized, resulting in larger P.T.O. gears and thus, larger P.T.O housings.
To mount a standard 6 BOLT P.T.O. device to a transmission having a 6 BOLT opening, six threaded studs with a respective securing nut or six capscrews have been used. The space allotted for the studs with nuts or capscrews has become minimal due to the clearance problems associated with the use of larger P.T.O housings. To install and retain the P.T.O. device to the transmission by way of a standard stud with a nut, a box wrench is most conveniently used to tighten the nut. Frequently, the wrench must be ground or cut down to be able to fit over the head of the nut in order to tighten the nuts, due to clearance problems with the P.T.O. housing. Even modified wrenches do not always allow sufficient room to tighten the nut properly.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and device which facilitates the attachment of a standard P.T.O. device to a standard P.T.O. opening on a transmission. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.